Friday, June 16, 2017

People Can Be At Their Best

"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart." Yesterday I saw proof of that famous Anne Frank quote with which she ended her diary. My Mac Book Pro laptop computer needed repair. Off I went yesterday to keep my appointment with a Mac Genius at the mall in Freehold, New Jersey. Traffic entering and exiting the mall was heavy. I had just made my right turn into the road which leads directly into the mall. The next thing I saw was a man rolling down my lane while his motorcycle rolled in front of him. I was about twenty feet from my right turn down the road. I immediately activated my emergency flasher, shut off my engine, jumped out of the Jeep with my cell phone in hand. I was already dialing 911 as I closed the Jeep door. In a moment of disbelief I thought that perhaps an emergency call wouldn't be necessary. Surely the man would just jump up, get back on his bike, and ride off. He wasn't moving, though, so I tended to my call. As I was waiting for a 911 response other people came running toward me and the man who appeared to be bleeding from a head wound. One other person had his cell phone out. People tried to comfort the man who did not appear to be responding. A truck stopped in back of me to block the road and thus prevent the injured man from getting run over. A woman began directing traffic. It was a remarkable experience. About ten people gathered around to do whatever was needed. The common wisdom was to wait for the ambulance and not attempt any type of emergency medical treatment. Within minutes, it seemed, police arrived and in the distance I could hear the ambulance siren. It was a relief to have law enforcement who actually knew what to do in such a situation take over. We were all thanked by the officers and, since none of us had witnessed the accident, encouraged to leave to make room for the ambulance. Those of us who had stopped to help took a moment to look at each other with a combination of shock and appreciation before getting into our various vehicles to, with law enforcement guidance, leave the accident. Yes, the accident itself was intense but more so was the unsolicited assistance and concern of those of us who did what we could to help.

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